People Can Change
by NaugrimMellon
Summary: When Hux is captured by the resistance, Rey takes it upon herself to keep him prisoner as humanely as possible. The problem is, Hux is arrogant and pretentious and Rey is low on patience.


Rey had already spoken to Leia. The General had been most understanding, despite the unexpected nature of Rey's request. "He'll be your responsibility," General Organa had said, "Don't let him out of your sight." Now the only thing left on Rey's list of things to do was to talk to Finn. She didn't have to, of course, but she felt that she should. He was less than enthusiastic about her idea, but she was determined to convince him.

"We can't just keep him locked up forever," Rey said to Finn in a harsh whisper, "We're not like them, we're not like the First Order. And what can he do? He can't fight, he can't hurt anyone. It'd be in his best interest to just do what we say."

Finn clearly wasn't convinced, judging by the way he tilted his head back in exasperation at her words.

"Finn! You know better than anyone that a person can have a change of heart. Maybe we should give him a chance."

"Rey," Finn's voice was soft, but she could tell he was frustrated with her. "This is the General of the First Order we're talking about. He's not just a soldier like me. He's the one who was in charge, of everything. He's responsible for the destruction of a whole system of planets!"

Rey averted her eyes from Finn's, feeling the judgement rolling off of him in waves.

"Rey, you're talking about just letting this guy walk around freely, with people who have lost family because of him!"

Rey chanced a look at Finn and met his eyes. It was apparent that he cared for her, and Rey realized with relief that he wasn't angry; he was just confused. He didn't understand why she would want to free the General. She didn't have a good reason, herself; it was just a feeling she had in her gut, a feeling she couldn't ignore. It was something in her mind that insisted on his freedom, a constant nagging at her conscience. She couldn't explain it, but if anyone would be willing to understand it was Finn.

"Finn, listen…" She knew she had to try, at the very least, to help him see her point of view. "I don't know exactly what it is, but I just have this _feeling_." She looked into his eyes, gauging his reaction. He looked back at her with genuine concern. "It's difficult to explain, I don't even understand it myself."

"Ok.." Finn said, nodding, "All right, Rey. Maybe this is some Jedi thing that I don't understand. I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I can't have that on my conscience."

"No one will get hurt, Finn," Rey assured him, though she knew she couldn't guarantee that. "I'll do what I can to look after him. He won't be left to roam around alone, and he certainly won't be free to leave."

"I don't like this, Rey. But I trust you." Finn was always so genuine and understanding. Rey couldn't help but feel she didn't deserve a friend as wonderful as Finn.

"If anything goes wrong, I'll lock him up again right away. I promise you." Rey smiled brightly at Finn who returned the smile (though slightly less enthusiastically). Rey leaned over to quickly kiss him on the cheek and then darted off to the cells before he could protest.

* * *

Rey approached the General's cell slowly. The closer she came to actually freeing him, the more she began to question her decision. Was this really the right thing to do? Should she really trust this feeling? She stopped in front of his cell and stared in pensively. He wasn't looking at her; he never looked up when she approached. He stared down at his hands clasped in his lap, as he always did.

Rey approached the bars and cleared her throat, hoping to get his attention.

"Yes?" he asked, as if she were inconveniencing him greatly. He raised his head but didn't look at her, instead looking off to the side. It was this that solidified her resolve to free him. This was the right thing to do. She couldn't leave him here, a broken man who refused to make eye contact with anyone. _He's evil and you know it,_ said a voice that she chose to ignore. People can change.

"I'm going to make you an offer," she told him. He didn't reply, so she continued. "I'll let you out during the day. You can have meals with the rest of us and stay in the common area. But I'll still lock you up at night. But if there's any trouble or you try to leave, you'll be locked up again. What do you think?" Her own voice sounded less than confident to her ears. Had she been too casual? Should she have made a bigger production of it?

Hux looked up at her tentatively from where he sat against the wall. It was the first time he'd made eye contact with her since he'd been captured. "What?" he asked, all airs of confidence and haughtiness gone. Rey fought the urge to giggle at his reaction; she hadn't expected him to be so surprised.

She unlocked the door and opened it, motioning for him to exit. "Remember, I'll lock you up again if you try anything," she reminded him, and then added for good measure, "or kill you."

He stood up stiffly and then dusted off and straightened his coat. It didn't help at all; he still appeared disheveled, with tears in his coat and dirt on his face. Rey suddenly realized that he'd be needing (and wanting) a shower. She couldn't possibly accompany him there. The thought brought blush to her cheeks and she quickly dismissed the idea.

Hux stepped outside the cell, his air of walking as pretentious as ever, and Rey almost regretted her decision to let him out. Almost.

"I'd very much like to clean up," Hux said, looking down at his dirty and tattered clothes. "If that's something you can have arranged," he added, with a condescending edge to his voice. Rey was immediately irritated. He was just set free out of the kindness of her heart and he was back to his haughty, bossy self.

"You will do whatever I tell you!" she yelled at him, craning her neck upwards and frowning at the realization that he was taller than she had remembered. "I don't know where you get the idea that you have any say here, but you are still a prisoner of the Resistance!"

Hux raised his eyebrows, but his expression was otherwise unchanged. He stood in front of her with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for her to finish.

"You'll do whatever I say!" she said, pointing a finger at him.

"Certainly." He replied, and Rey could have sworn she heard a hint of sarcasm in his voice. She considered throwing him back in his cell, but thought better of it. She had to trust her feelings, like Luke had taught her, and right now her feelings were telling her he needed to be free.

"What would you have me do first, master?" he asked. This time there was definitely sarcasm. Did he not understand that she was doing him a kindness by letting him go free? Would he have rather stayed in a dark, dirty cell?

"Don't call me master," she said, wrinkling up her nose, "if you're going to call me anything, how about 'your highness'?" She was only playing with him, and she could tell by the way his eyes briefly narrowed that he knew it. But he had no choice.

"All right, your highness. What would you have me do?" He asked. His manner of speaking was still pretentious but Rey could tell that he hated every moment of having to take orders from her. That gave her some satisfaction.

"Well, first, I think a shower is in order." She wrinkled up her nose at him, "you smell."

"Well that's to be expected, I've been locked in a dank cell with no change of clothes for-"

"That's enough out of you!" Rey told him, silencing him with a wave of her hand. He chewed his lip angrily, but kept silent. His cheeks were turning faintly pink with anger and Rey felt an odd sense of satisfaction from it.

"Follow me then. And don't make any trouble!" Rey patted the lightsaber on her belt, just to remind him that it was there. "I'd hate for you to lose a hand." Hux swallowed nervously and nodded.

He followed her obediently, keeping a few steps behind her but never far enough behind for her to worry. She was leading him to the showers, but she was still mentally trying to figure out how this would work. She knew she couldn't ask Finn to take him to shower; She imagined the look on Finn's face if she were to even ask.

" _You want me to what?! I'm not going in there with him!"_

Not to mention the fact that leaving Finn alone with the General could be problematic since Finn was a traitor in his eyes. She decided it was best not to go there. And since Poe was gone on a mission, Rey didn't have any other friends to ask. But it was obvious that the general needed a shower, desperately. She decided she would just have to make it work somehow.

Rey stepped into the communal bathroom hesitantly. It was the middle of the day, so she didn't expect anyone to be in the showers, but she hated to have an unpleasant surprise. She peered around the corner cautiously.

"Is there a reason we're sneaking into the bathroom?" Hux asked, not even bothering to lower his voice.

"No," Rey replied incredulously, irritated that he had noticed her hesitation. Luckily the shower area appeared to be empty, so Rey led him forward. Her eyes roamed over the showers; there were cloth curtains around each one, but they weren't very good for privacy. Her cheeks began to go pink as she turned to Hux. The moment he saw her embarrassed expression the arrogance fell from his face immediately. He must have realized what the situation entailed because blush began to rise in his cheeks as well.

"Can't you j-just wait outside?" he asked, stuttering in his nervousness.

"I have orders not to let you out of my sight," she told him in a deadpan serious tone, and the look of horror that resulted on his face was enough to force a smile from Rey, despite her own discomfort.

"I'm just teasing you, I won't look. But I really can't let you out of my sight. The General doesn't trust you, and neither do I if I'm being honest."

Hux frowned and glanced back at the showers. His face was getting more and more red by the minute, and Rey would have found it amusing had she not felt almost as uncomfortable. Watching the general shower had not been on her list of things to do that day. Or any day. Ever.

"Don't look!" he ordered, looking absolutely full of self-hatred for what he was about to do.

"I think you mean 'don't look, _please_ '," she told him.

"Don't look, please." He corrected.

"Don't look please…." She prompted, enjoying this opportunity to torment the general.

"Don't look, please, _your highness_ ," he said, with absolute disgust.

"Thank you," Rey said, looking down and covering her eyes with one hand. "Go ahead."

He didn't move; she could tell he was just standing there, probably staring at her, and probably still bright red in the face.

"I haven't got all day to stand here and wait on you." She told him, stepping back and leaning against the wall. He hesitated for a moment longer and Rey almost told him to forget the whole thing, but finally she heard the rustle of clothing.

There was a clunk, shortly followed by another, as he removed his boots. Rey tried not to think about what was happening, and willed the blush to fade from her face. He was still undressing, and Rey idly wondered how many layers he had been wearing.

"Has anyone ever told you you take a really long time to get undressed?" she asked. He didn't respond, but she could guess well enough that he was too angry and embarrassed to give a response.

Finally she heard the curtain move as he stepped inside. It took him a moment to figure out how to turn on the water (at least she was guessing that was the case), but she imagined he was too embarrassed to ask for help. Finally the water started and Rey briefly sighed with relief. The whole ordeal was that much closer to being over.

She chanced a glance at the floor. His clothes were neatly folded – no wonder it had taken him so long to finish undressing. Her eyes caught a glimpse of his pale legs from under the curtain and she quickly put her hand back over her face.

The room was starting to warm up, but the warmth was coming from the hot water instead of her cheeks this time. The smell of the shampoo and soap was drifting around, and mixed with the humid air and her embarrassment, Rey almost felt choked. _What are you doing?! He's a First Order general, he doesn't deserve your kindness,_ that voice chimed in again, much to Rey's displeasure. It was too late for those doubts now.

She heard the water turn off, but didn't hear the curtain move. There was silence for a moment while Rey wondered what was going on.

"….Your highness?" Hux's tone was hesitant.

"Yes?" she asked.

"There isn't…" he began, but trailed off. "There's not… I don't have…"

"What?"

"A Towel."

Rey mentally berated herself for forgetting to get him a towel. How could she have forgotten something so important? She had to remove the hand that covered her eyes and quickly made her way to the opposite end of the showers, hoping there would be some towels available.

Luckily the towels were fully stocked. She grabbed two, just in case, and ran back. She felt she had to hurry, since she wasn't supposed to let him out of her sight for a moment, but she couldn't help but think the likeliness of him going anywhere right now was very slim.

She carefully averted her eyes when she arrived back at his shower.

"All right, I'll just hand it to you," she said, her cheeks going red again. She shut her eyes tightly and thrust her hand through the curtain, accidentally brushing her hand against his wet chest in the process. He fumbled with the towel as he tried to grab it and it fell onto the wet floor.

"I grabbed two, don't worry," she told him, eyes still closed. She wondered if she could attribute her foresight to the force, but decided not to dwell on it. This time she reached carefully through the curtain, and he took the towel with no problem.

She returned to her spot against the wall, quickly wiping her wet hand on her pants and doing her best not to think about what had just happened.

"Your highness?" he asked again.

"Yes?" Rey asked, her voice cracking from nerves. She mentally scolded herself.

"What about clothes? I can't wear those dirty ones now."

Rey hung her head in defeat. First she had forgotten a towel, and now clothes. Her earlier excitement over force related foresight was quickly crushed. Clearly she had no gifts of foresight whatsoever.

"I can't leave to bring you any," she told him, as she tried to think of a better solution than the one she had. There wasn't one. "You're going to have to wear the towel and follow me back to the supply area. I'm sorry." She genuinely was.

"Wonderful." He said, as he pulled the curtain aside roughly. Rey still didn't dare to look.

"You might want to wear your boots," she told him. She lowered her hand from her face and did her best to keep her eyes on his face only. He was blushing brighter than she'd ever seen someone blush in her life, and his arms were crossed over his chest. He was trying to appear confident, but the severity of the blush on his face said otherwise.

He glared at her as he bent down to pick up his boots and slip them on. Rey averted her eyes, just in case there was a slip up with the towel.

"I look ridiculous," he said with disgust. Rey let herself look him over quickly. He did look ridiculous; he was very pale, the sort of pale that Rey never knew existed back on Jakku (though Rey couldn't deny that he wasn't awful looking), and the combination of the white towel wrapped around his waist with his black military style boots coming up to his knees was almost humorous.

"It'll have to do," Rey told him, holding back a smile. He glared at her, but seemed resigned to his fate. Rey hoped they wouldn't run into anyone on their way, just for his sake.

* * *

Hux followed her outside, a second towel wrapped around his shoulders. Rey had checked outside beforehand to make sure no one was nearby, and the two of them quickly made their way to the supply area.

"This is a nightmare," Hux said softly behind her. Rey couldn't disagree, but it still made her angry.

"Would you rather be back in your cell wearing your dirty clothes and smelling like the inside of a Tauntaun?" she asked more vehemently than she had intended. Hux didn't reply, but she thought she heard him huff in resentment.

They made it to the supply area without incident, luckily for poor Hux. The clothes were nothing fancy; just standard issue pants and shirt, with a jacket bearing the Resistance symbol. Hux looked it over with distaste, but was in no position to argue.

Rey's face turned crimson again when she realized she would have to cover her eyes again while he dressed. He stood across from her waiting for her to avert her eyes, with the towel around his shoulders wrapped tightly across his chest.

"Oh, right," Rey said, looking down and covering her eyes with her hand as she waited for him to dress. She was looking forward to being able to finally look at him without blushing again.

"I'm finished, your highness," he said coolly, as if the earlier embarrassing moments had never happened. Apparently once he was no longer nude, his arrogance came back in full force. _Lovely._

She opened her eyes and noticed that he had neatly folded the towels, and was holding them under his arm. He looked strange in the Resistance clothes, with his still damp hair tousled and still clinging to his face in places. Not that he hadn't been in sad shape before the shower, it was just that he had still been in his general's clothes then. Now he just looked like an ordinary person… an ordinary person who had ordered the destruction of planets, she reminded herself.

"You're a very neat person," she told him, pointing to the towels. Hux raised an eyebrow at her and nodded curtly. Of course he was neat, he was used to a military lifestyle. He was a General. She felt silly. Again she wondered what she thought she could accomplish by being kind to this man. She knew she had to trust her feelings, but it was starting to become a hassle.

"Are you hungry?" she asked hopefully. She was beginning to notice how hungry she was now that her nervousness at the situation had subsided.

"It's not as if I have much choice in the matter. I'm to do as you say, correct? If you are hungry, then I'll eat. I'm at your command, _your highness_." He sounded irritated, and Rey was mentally berating herself for asking him so casually. It wasn't as if this was a lunch date with Finn, Hux was a prisoner. And of course he didn't have any choice.

"Right, well I'm new to this," Rey told him, letting her frustration show clearly on her face, "Not all of us have had experience being-" she stopped herself and took a moment to control her temper, remembering the exercises Luke had taught her. It wasn't worth it to insult him; it would do no good. "…Like you." She said, settling for something simple. He could take that as "a General" or as "a controlling lunatic" and even though she meant the latter, he didn't need to know that.

He stared at her with that pretentious expression he always wore, and she hated that he wasn't affected by anything she said. She briefly wished she had used a far more scathing insult.

"I'm hungry, and so you're coming with me to eat," she said, trying to sound firm and commanding. She thought she saw a smile tug at the corner of his lips, and that infuriated her even more. He was laughing at her attempts to be tough, and she hated it.

"After you, your highness," he said smugly. Rey couldn't help but consider pulling out her lightsaber and holding it to his throat; surely he wouldn't be laughing at her then. Instead she decided to turn around and lead him toward the mess hall.

"Oh, by the way," she said, glancing at him over her shoulder, "you get my leftovers, or nothing."

"I'd rather have nothing," Hux replied with a frown. She knew he was going to say that.

"It's up to you," she replied, shrugging.


End file.
